We all know that especially tactical person that preaches “Train like you fight” the same way a Stark says “Winter is Coming”. Most of us however don’t head this due to an inability to access a range that allows move and shooting or even drawing from a holster. What is worse is even the guys who spend that 300-600 on a weekend class do so with RN bullets.

I mean who can afford to go run 500 rounds of ammo that is JHP around $1 per round on top of the cost of the class?

But what makes a JHP cost so much more than a standard RN bullet? Sure the actual projectile and the new brass costs are a part of it but the biggest cost of “Defensive Ammunition” isn’t the product it’s the liability and insurance required to be maintained by manufacturers. Marketing, boxes and other things also inflate the price but the biggest difference between a $.19 reload and a $1.00 is the cost of ensuring the manufacturer against the liability associated with defensive ammo.

So what if someone could make a defensive quality ammunition without the “Defensive Ammo” label so people could train with hotter heavier hollow points that are more in line with what would be used in a defensive engagement? What you would have is the same quality components used in defensive ammunition without the premium label and fancy packaging.

Who Benefits

Competitive shooters often will prefer HP bullets as they cut a clean hole in paper and make scoring easier. There is less tearing or pulling on a HP vs. a RN and this results in cleaner easier to score targets.

CPL holders will often train with a light charges 115 grain RN bullet when at the range due to the cost. Then they load up 124 grain +p rounds and carry that everyday. However if you are not shooting 124 grain bullets during training do you know how well your gun feeds HP rounds? Does it create additional muzzle rise or recoil that you now need to learn how to mitigate? If your not practicing with a round similar to what your carry your treading on un proven ground.

Preppers will often stock pile food and ammunition in anticipation of the worst. Regardless of what it is your prepping for is all the ammo your hoarding RN? Sure RN works and will cause a bad day for anyone shot by it hell our military uses it. What if you could get the same or even similar defensive round for just slightly more than RN bullets? You could buy 3,000 rounds of 9mm 124 grain JHP for less than the cost of 1,000 rounds of defensive ammunition.

Specifications:

Shooting

We have shot 100 rounds of the ammo over the last week and the results are on par with the HST and Speer Gold Dot we have tested. It is not as hot as the Speer is but when shot into a stack of newspaper we found these bullets opened up nicely. They offer a flowing pattern on par with most defensive grade ammunition we have shot over the last few years.

Final Thoughts

I would not carry this as a defensive round that would be irresponsible but I have no issues training with these rounds during handgun classes or when hitting the range. Further I already picked up my first case to store away for those rainy days where ammo can be hard to come by.

About 248 Shooter

Charles is the editor and lead writer for 248 Shooter, a Michigan based gun, news and gear review site. An avid student, taking classes from top tier trainers around the country.
Charles is not LEO, Military or Invested in the companies he reviews. The goal of all articles is to show an gun fan enthusiasts opinions on popular products in the market. The opinions expressed are individual opinions that we hope you enjoy reading and offer a unique user perspective that may be of assistance.
Charles shares his love for training as well as experience and opinions on some of the most talked about gear and products used by competitive shooters, military, leo and civilians.
Ever a supporter of the Michigan economy, the hunting sports and the 2nd amendment.